Previously proposed devices of this type mostly rely on relatively yieldable structures which, situated between the steering system and the motor vehicle body, yield axially under a predetermined load, so absorbing energy.
One of the most important problems to be solved in the design of such safety devices is the problem of minimizing the possibility of their jamming or sticking due to the emergence of excessive component forces obliquely or perpendicular to the direction of yielding scheduled for the yieldable structure.